Worthy Brewing Partners up with Columbia Distributing

Worthy Beer Blast for Feb. 25, 2013

Bend, Or. Worthy Brewing is proud to announce we are partnering with the venerable Columbia Distributing of Portland, Oregon for the sales and distribution of Worthy's portfolio of beers in the Pacific Northwest.

"It's going to be a sweet ride," said Worthy's CEO Chris Hodge, who recently left an 18 year career at Columbia Distributing to take the helm at Worthy. "We wanted to team up with a regional partner who has the horsepower, sales talent and the same intense passion for beer as we do and Columbia has proven to be the perfect fit."

Worthy opened on February 4, 2013 and has quickly established itself as a burgeoning beertopia on Bend's East Side. With a restaurant, bier garten, a 4-vessel 30-barrel production brew system, and an eco-friendly state-of-the art 28,000 sqare feet brewhouse, hopyard, greenhouse and pilot brew system scheduled to go on line soon, Worthy's ambition is virtually limitless.

Brewmaster Chad Kennedy and Head Brewer Dustin Kellner have to date introduced seven beer styles, with several more in the works. In addition to the pilot system, which Worthy will use to fine tune recipes and experiment with new ingredients, including new hop genotypes from the Oregon State University-Indie Hops Breeding Program, Worthy will be dedicating space to accommodate 20 whiskey barrels for special reserve beers.

In the short term Worthy will be offering up their portfolio of draft beers in Oregon. By June, Worthy will commence operation of its high-powered canning line, as well as its bottling line. Worthy will be the first start-up brewery in the US to offer both cans and bottles from its own equipment in our inaugural year.

"Chad and Dustin live, breath and drink quality beer," said Hodge. "They are locked on to brewing new beers that meet the needs of the Oregon and Washington beer lover's increasingly sophisticated palate. With Columbia on the team, we know that we will be able to reach those thirsty customers quickly and efficiently."

Columbia Distributing has built a nationally recognized reputation as one of the premier Craft and Specialty Beer wholesalers in the nation. Hodge, who helped develop Columbia's craft beer sales division, is excited to work with his former colleagues. "These folks value beer quality and beer education as much as we do,' he said, noting that Columbia employs 22 Cicerone Certified Servers, as well as three Registered "Certified Cicerones" (the sommeliers of the beer world).

"Worthy will be collaborating with Columbia's professional staff to build a statewide network of sales, delivery, marketing and merchandising that will ensure that our beers will be prominently placed and easily accessed by beer lovers throughout the state," said Hodge.

"We know that beer drinkers today have many choices. We like to think here at Worthy that as long as somebody wants a worthy beer that's full of flavor, aroma and taste, we'll do just fine, as our brand is a daily reminder that our mandate is to brew and deliver the highest quality of beer possible," said Hodge.